The present application relates to a press detection sensor, an input device and an electronic apparatus, which are preferably applicable to a mobile phone, an information processing apparatus, an information mobile terminal or the like that inputs information by executing a slide operation and a press operation of an input detection surface on a display unit.
In recent years, a user (operator) has often used a digital camera equipped with various kinds of operation modes to shoot a subject and has often taken various kinds of contents in a mobile phone or an information mobile terminal such as a Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) to utilize them. These digital camera, mobile terminal device and the like have their input devices. An input unit such as a key board and a JOG dial, a touch panel formed by combining a display unit, and the like has been often used for the input device.
Further, there are disclosed an input device that can input information by moving a finger of the user or the like physically on a touch panel on a display unit (with a detection function in XY-directions) and an input device that can input information by pushing down an operation surface with a user's finger (with a detection function in Z-direction).
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-332063 has disclosed on page 4 and FIG. 3 thereof the input device with this kind of detection function in Z-direction, in which a touch-sensitive function is provided. This input device has a resistive touch panel on a display unit of a liquid crystal display device or the like and a pressure detection system on the downward side of the display unit. The pressure detection system includes four pressure detection sensors provided at the four corners on the downward side of the display unit and a driver IC which processes the pressure detection signals thereof.
According to the pressure detection system, in case of detecting the pressure in Z-direction, the four pressure detection sensors supporting the display unit detect the pressure when a user's finger or the like pushes the touch panel down from the top thereof and output four kinds of pressure detection signals to the driver IC. The driver IC calculates the four kinds of pressure detection signals and obtains an average value among the four pressure detection sensors to be compared with a preset threshold level, which can obtain an input device provided with a detection function in Z-direction in addition to a detection function in X and Y directions.